Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-06-29
A Great Historic Event.

London is big city and used to big oc-
casions, but, says the Lynchburg Tirginian,
London in all her history never Witnessed
such an occasion as the celebration of the
Queens Jubilee on Tuesday, the 21st in
slant. It was not alone::in the pageantry of
the royal procession through the city, the
like of which II the number of persons par
ticipating in it, and in the superlative mag
nifeence of its encourage and accompani-
ments, was never seen before; nor in the
profuse and elaborate decorations of the
streets and houses along the route, in which
fabulous sums had been expended, that the
ceremonial so completely surpassed all pre-
vious civic demonstrations. The greatest
feature of the celebration by all odds was
the most inconceivable concourse of people,
from far and near, which witnessed it,
Nothing like it, nothing comparable to 1t,
is possible anywhere on the globe outside OF
London. Only that mammoth human hive
could line route of such extent literally
with living walls-walls, too, that extended
from the curbstones to the tops Of the houses.
Portray the scene in your mind: Miles up
on miles of these living walls, an intermin-
able perspectivesof. human faces, twenty,
fifty, one hundred deep on the sidewalks;
and then up along the fronts of buildings,
clustered in windows, looking down from
galleries and balconies, assembled on house
tops, crowded and jumbled on great public
stands and platforms-millions of faces
smiling a welcome to one old woman, now
well along in the sere and yellow leaf of life.
Imagine the entire population of Virginia,
!, 800, 900 persons collected along a single
roadway. 1t would be wonderful sight, a
sight of a life time. But how meagre il
would appear beside this London display.
A careful estimate places the number OF
strangers alone at $1,000, 900. Add these
to the great city's resident millions and con-
ceive the RESULT There is no record in the
life of the world of an equal gathering,
either in Numbers, appearance, wealth OF
| intelligence.
1t was grand day for London, for Eng
land, and for the British Empire. 1t was a
day that will live in history. 1t will be a
red-letter day in modern chronology. II
marks the zenith of the progress, the power,
the renown, the glory of a great nation. 1t
will henceforth be day of historical refer.
ence in the annals of the English people.
But it is day that is past. No scion OF
the royal family, however young in years,
will ever witness its return or repetition. 1t
represents the turning point in the duration
Of monarchical power, not only in Great
Britain, but in the world. The old theory
of political evolution, that as kingdoms de-
cay other kingdoms rise upon their ruins,
no longer holds good. In this age of pro-
gressive ideas when kingdom decays it
dies, and the rights of royalty die with it;
a government by the people will inevitably
supplant it. The great heart Of the ciyiliz-
ed world is pulsating more and more with
love of democratic doctrines and democratic
principles, and it is a love that knows nc
WEAKNESS in waiting for the ends of justice
and no fear in establishing the tribune Of
popular rights upon the wreck of monarch.
ical usurpations.